The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it will intensify the fight against substandard and falsified medicines in the country with the implementation of a pharmaceutical traceability strategy to safeguard people’s health.

The director-general, Mojisola Adeyeye, stated this at a workshop in Port Harcourt, organised by the agency while  finalising the draft traceability of pharmaceutical products regulations.

This is contained in a statement signed by the NAFDAC spokesperson, Olusayo Akintola in Abuja.

“The task of safeguarding the health of the nation is daunting in the face of the chaotic drug distribution system currently existing in Nigeria,” said Ms Adeyeye.

She added that the falsification and diversion of health commodities caused serious health and economic consequences.

“The consequences vis-à-vis the mandate of the agency to regulate and control among other things, the distribution of drugs and other regulated products is sufficient motivation for the  implementation of  pharmaceutical traceability,” the NAFDAC boss explained.

The director-general also mentioned the need to complement the fight against the menace of substandard and falsified medicines and improve the regulatory control of the medicines supply chain in Nigeria.

Ms Adeyeye said NAFDAC was committed to the full implementation of pharmaceutical traceability in Nigeria as part of  regulatory strengthening and underscoring  its mandate. She also revealed NAFDAC developed a five-year traceability implementation plan in line with the objectives of the Nigeria pharmaceutical traceability strategy.

The NAFDAC chief said the idea was aimed at achieving supply chain visibility and strengthening  interventions against  substandard and falsified medicines by the end of her second term.

“Gazetting and dissemination of the traceability of pharmaceutical products and  regulations is essential for the adoption and enforcement of the provisions of the Nigeria pharmaceutical traceability strategy,” she pointed out. “Also, regulation, accompanied by guidelines and compliance requirements will provide a legal framework to support advocacy for all stakeholders to implement traceability in distribution of pharmaceuticals or supply chain.”

(NAN)